Protecting human dignity by mobilizing humanity to reduce violence, discrimination, and vulnerability - Statement by USG Egeland

Protecting Human Dignity by Mobilizing Humanity to Reduce Violence, Discrimination, and Vulnerability

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am delighted to be able to address this Red Cross + Red Crescent Conference on behalf of the United Nations. I carry a message of sincere greetings from Secretary-General Kofi Annan. I have myself attended all international Red Cross + Red Crescent Conferences since 1986 on behalf of my National Society, my government or the international Red Cross Study Center, the Henri Dunant Institute.

Now on behalf of the United Nations I am happy to reconfirm that the United Nations regards the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement as our key partner in our common quest to defend and promote humanitarian principles and human rights in a time when such principles are threatened, undermined and attacked. We, in the UN, totally subscribe to the call by the ICRC Vice-President, Mme Petitpierre, to rally around the existing IHL in these times of new conflicts, new conflict actors and new conflict lines.

This conference is the most representative humanitarian meeting in the world. In this room are gathered representatives of virtually all the world's nations along with a large part of the world's humanitarian actors. Together we can make a real difference to the future of humanitarian action. We can now choose to face and solve the enormous challenges we are facing, or we can choose to ignore them and see the problems and the suffering grow. I am particularly pleased that I am able to speak to you alongside my old friend and colleague - Tom Buruku of the Uganda Red Cross.

I saw that when I moved from the Norwegian Red Cross to the United Nations, I was moving from a truly international voluntary movement that embodies the spirit of people's commitment to assist each other; to a United Nations that is striving to put people at the center of a multilateral approach and where we have a common commitment to respect human dignity. It is all too easy to forget that human dignity is at the very heart of our humanitarian work. It is the central pillar of humanitarian endeavour. Yet, we live in a world where humanitarian assistance is frequently seen as part of a "humanitarian enterprise". Where all too often humanitarian action is only seen as the movement of goods and commodities. Where the constant mass media images of distress are no longer capable of shock. This is why we risk dehumanizing our understanding of the very nature of distress.

What then are the practical ways in which we can mobilize humanity? We must forge a stronger common humanitarian agenda which places the restoration of human dignity at its heart. In this we need to work closer together as partners: United Nations, Red Cross + Red Crescent, NGOs and Governments, respecting our independent mandates, but understanding also our inability to change the world alone. There are a number of policy issues around which such an agenda could be based:

- First, access and protection. It is totally unacceptable that we are, for various reasons, prevented from having access to affected populations in the majority of crises where we are deployed. Together we must work with governments and - where necessary - with armed groups to systematically address access. Vulnerable communities have the right to receive humanitarian assistance as we have the right and the obligation to provide it. We must commit to staying on in conflict zones where there is humanitarian need, taking all possible measures to prevent any dangers to staff. We must collectively hold the parties to conflicts accountable to their responsibilities under international law.

- Second, Security of humanitarian workers. These are times of crisis for the security and safety of humanitarian staff. As the deliberate attacks against our humanitarian colleagues in Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated, the threats to humanitarian workers are unprecedented. The protection that we rely on, the understanding and acceptance of our humanitarian mission as symbolized in our emblems is being challenged. We should however not forget that the greater part of all humanitarian assistance is provided through national humanitarian societies and through national staff who face greater challenges and often take greater risks when they express our common humanitarian principles. Our international responsibility is to provide solidarity through our presence and establish measures for our common security as humanitarian organizations. This will mean that humanitarian agencies will need to be better at "risk management". We need to improve our analysis of the risks and threats that we face and, we must work jointly to develop measures that improve the security for all our national and international representatives. Foremost amongst these, is the need to restore respect for our humanitarian mission and address the way in which we are perceived. As we sit here in Geneva, the humanitarian capital of the world, we should, as operative agencies, reflect on the image we may present of a Northern-dominated operation that does not properly represent or engage many of the communities with whom we work. As ERC of the UN system I often refer to the strength and representation of the National Societies of the Red Cross + Red Crescent Movement. We should be able to draw more systematically from the expertise of the Iranian Red Crescent, the Ethiopian Red Cross, the Ugandan Red Cross and many other non-Western NGOs when we respond to international crises. Governments have of course the most fundamental responsibilities for our security. They can and should do more to provide a secure environment for humanitarian work locally, nationally and internationally. Governments must realize what is at stake when humanitarian access is denied and impartial humanitarian workers are attacked, and thus do more to prevent the attacks.

- My third area of action is to focus attention and resources on forgotten emergencies. The year is 2003, but still there are countless "forgotten refugees and displaced people" and "neglected" "forgotten" victims of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. There also are many communities requiring aid, but neglected due to lack of attention and resources. Forgotten victims of natural disasters, that strike on average 7 times more people each year than do conflicts. We cannot ignore the financial consequences of restoring dignity. Is it really possible to restore dignity and people's hope for the future with 18 dollars per person per year in some African countries? Can we really expect people to understand that our mission is impartial when, at the same time, we can find billions of dollars for the media-focused wars? We must not only ensure that we have enough resources to restore dignity but that we are perceived to manage these resources fairly. Humanitarian assistance should be provided strictly on the basis of need. It hurts as much to be displaced in Congo as it does in Kosovo. It hurts as much to be wounded in Northern Uganda as it does in Northern Iraq. We must reaffirm the universality of our humanitarian principles. The Red Cross and Red Crescent movement as a truly international voluntary movement of people should also inspire states to recognize that multilateralism must be the foundation for humanitarian action. A multilateral approach is one where responsibilities are shared and we acknowledge the tremendous burden shouldered by developing countries in responding to humanitarian crises. It means a refusal to bow to the pressures of politics by responding only where the world's attention is focused.

- Fourth, we must broaden the humanitarian partnership. We must mobilise more resources and we must be more imaginative in their deployment. If we are to build a truly international base for humanitarian action, we must engage and encourage new "non-traditional donors" in non-traditional ways. The growing economies of Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe should take responsibilities for providing the cash, the in-kind assistance and the personnel for humanitarian solidarity, proportional to their growing share of the global economy. We cannot continue to have in the new millennium a top ten donor list which includes several small countries with a small proportion of the world economy. Other, bigger countries must be added to the list of those providing effective assistance to people in greatest need. As humanitarian agencies, we should be more effective in enlisting new partner countries as contributors of the personnel, or the commodities or the cash we need.

In conclusion: Never before has our assistance been as operationally effective, timely and targeted as now. We can provide relief, expertise and operational leadership to disaster stricken areas within hours anywhere in the world. We have tools, logistical capabilities and early warning procedures like never before in human history. What we sorely lack is the ability to have our humanitarian principles become a reality for political, military and economic leaders and actors in the many conflict and disaster stricken areas around the world. What good do our impressive tools do if suffering civilians continue to be neglected in forgotten countries? What good can our courageous national and international humanitarian workers do if they are deliberately targeted by political actors or terrorists? What good does it do to have stand-by arrangements for relief goods and personnel if the right of humanitarian access and humanitarian space is not respected?

We have had our revolution in humanitarian technical capabilities. We now need to see a moral and ethical revolution, in international relations and domestic politics and power struggles, that can ensure that we can as humanitarians act always and everywhere in accordance with our humanitarian principles.

In this future struggle for just, equitable humanitarian access to all, we, in the United Nations, and I, as Emergency Relief Coordinator with my Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, look forward to the closest possible partnership with this Great Movement, with the National Societies, the ICRC, the Federation and the States Parties to humanitarian law of armed conflict.

Thank you.